Vol. 20 18 No. No. 27 27 Vol.
FREE FREE PUBLICATION PUBLICATION
Wednesday, Wednesday, January January 13, 17, 2016 2018
Making a difference H
BY SARAH SCULLY
orsham’s latest Australia Day award winners are strong believers they get more out of volunteering than what they put in.
Horsham’s 2018 Citizen of the Year Ian Walter, 77, and Young Citizen of the Year Dustin Cross, 21, boast an extensive list of achievements. But it is their love of their community and a desire to pitch in where needed that drives their ongoing commitment to making a difference, no matter how big or small. Horsham Rural City Council leaders will officially recognise the pair at an Australia Day ceremony at Sawyer Park on January 26. The awards recognise and honour individials and groups who have made an outstanding contribution to their community. Mr Walter, who has been an active Country Fire Authority volunteer for more than 60 years, said he was shocked to learn of his accolade. “I’ve been referee to some other people who received it, but it’s definitely something I didn’t set out to achieve, I assure you,” he said. “I just enjoy doing things for the community and you get out of it more than you put in, most of the time.” Horsham mayor Pam Clarke said Mr Walter had made a significant contribution to the Horsham district community throughout many years. “He has been a volunteer and member of various groups and associations demonstrating strong community involvement, particularly in the role of chairman of Horsham Emergency Food Centre,” she said. “He is well respected among the community and is a very worthy recipient of this award.” Mr Walter has chaired the food centre committee for the past decade. “The food centre is one of the success stories of Horsham,” he said. “It’s been going for coming up 20 years and is a very, very worthwhile organisation. It helps a lot of people, not only in Horsham, but the whole Wimmera.” Mr Walter said the centre had about 60 volunteers on its books. “I believe it’s bought all the churches together in Horsham,” he said. “Nobody knows who belongs where a lot of the time and it doesn’t make any difference.” Mr Walter has also volunteered his time for Horsham’s Holy Trinity Lutheran Church,
IN THIS ISSUE
Sunnyside Lutheran Retirement Village and Horsham Agricultural Society. He is a member of Dooen and District 17 headquarters brigades and is secretary of Horsham Group of Fire Brigades. His long and dedicated service was recognised with a prestigious Australian Fire Services Medal in 2010. “With CFA I’ve got to know people all over Victoria,” Mr Walter said. “It’s just one of those things, it doesn’t matter where you go, there’s always somebody mixed up with the CFA.” The former shearer and stock and wool manager is also a Horsham Agricultural Society councillor. “I was asked to give a hand with the fleece competition at Horsham Show and I was gently handballed the job of chief steward,” he said. Mr Walter thanked the people who nominated him for the Australia Day honour. “In any of these organisations, you’re only ever a very small part of a team,” he said. “That’s probably a cliché, but that’s the way it is.”
Young citizen
Mr Cross also volunteers his time as a Horsham Agricultural Society councillor and has a long involvement with the Horsham Show. “I’ve been involved in the show for about 10 years because mum’s always had something to do with it – because mum always has to have something to do with everything that goes on in this town,” he said. “In a way I have mum to thank a lot because I wouldn’t achieve half of what I have without her putting my name down or saying to someone, ‘my son will do it’.” Mr Cross said his mother, Andrea, encouraged him to apply for the Victorian Apprentice-Trainee of the Year award. “I wasn’t even going to fill out a form and mum said I should do it,” he said. “I said, ‘don’t worry about it, I’m just going to be a shearer’ and she said, ‘no, let’s do it’. So I did and ended up coming out with a great result.” Mr Cross won the Victorian award in October and went on to win the national accolade in November. He now wants to champion hands-on training pathways to employment. Continued page 3
HUMBLED: Dustin Cross and Ian Walter are Horsham Rural City’s 2018 Australia Day Award winners.
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